Contraband

Cúcuta, Colombia – 8 October 2006

A 2200 kilometre long borderline between Colombia and Venezuela is virtually impossible to control. Venezuelan gasoline, being 20 times cheaper than in Colombia, is the most wanted smuggling item, followed by food and car parts, while reputable Colombian clothing flow to Venezuela. There are about 25,000 barrels of gasoline crossing illegally the Venezuelan border every day. The flow of contraband is managed and organized by former Colombian paramilitary forces and the bribed Venezuelan police (Guardia Nacional). The risky contraband smuggling, especially during the rainy season when the river rises, makes a living to hundreds of poor families in communities on both sides of the frontier.